###
[World Quest]
[The demons are invading. Protect Earth.
The invasion will occur in three waves.
1st Invasion: TBD.
2nd Invasion: TBD.
3rd Invasion: TBD.
Reward: Distributed across the three quest phases.
Failure: 10% of Earth’s surface will fall. The demons will establish a forward base. War will fully commence.]
The GSA declared a global state of emergency.
The words invasion and war were the cause.
Unlike dungeon anomalies, which could be classified as phenomena or natural occurrences, this was a clear and deliberate attack.
Efforts to reassure the public were rendered meaningless—everyone was in shock.
<As of this moment, the GSA is enacting the Global Relief Authority across all nations of Earth.>
The Global Relief Authority—a measure allowing GSA forces to enter any member nation militarily without prior approval, solely for the purpose of relief and defense.
A power straight out of a fantasy novel, one that could threaten a nation’s sovereignty.
Yet, every country had agreed to it upon joining GSA.
Because the activation conditions left no room for misuse.
It could only be triggered when a World Quest was issued.
The system itself had to warn of an existential crisis to humanity.
Even during past dungeon anomalies, which also qualified as World Quests, the Global Relief Authority had never once been activated since GSA’s founding.
They had hesitated to play this card.
But now, they could no longer stand idly by.
The demons had declared war.
<Nations are free to reject the Global Relief Authority. However, those that refuse will receive no military aid from GSA, and will be immediately expelled from the Alliance…>
Refusal was an option.
If a nation believed it could handle the situation alone, without GSA.
But who would dare reject GSA when the system itself was warning of a catastrophe?
Surprisingly, one did.
<The People’s Republic of China rejects the Global Relief Authority. As of this moment, China is withdrawing from GSA…>
China had refused the Global Relief Authority, choosing to stand alone in the crisis.
Many scholars had predicted this.
China, from its very foundations, could not accept GSA, a military force spearheaded by the United States.
And, of course, China had confidence in its own awakened forces.
Thus, the world braced itself for war.
###
Kang Hyun watched the news.
He nodded.
“This isn’t too bad.”
The demons were not to be underestimated.
No one knew this better than Kang Hyun.
To resist them, fragmented nations had to unite, standing together as one.
Yet China had chosen division.
A move completely against Kang Hyun’s ideals.
“Compared to Thea, this is nothing.”
“Oh? Master, have you studied Thean history?”
I am living history, kid.
“I wish someone like Lord Kyle would just drop from the sky and unify the world for us.”
“Hearing that, you’d think Kyle was a world conqueror.”
Unify—that word had strange connotations.
All he did was bring the nations together under one cause.
“We don’t know when we’ll be called in.”
“Did you get a draft notice?”
“Just a standby order. If mobilized, we’re to report to the nearest reserve training center… Master, you didn’t get one?”
“I made it clear in my contract as a freelance mercenary. I act independently.”
No nation had the authority to conscript EX.
“I’m jealous. If I get drafted alone, I’d be scared and lonely…”
“You’ll be with me. I already talked to Chief Choi.”
Aden was, essentially, a massive mana storage drive.
Together, Kang Hyun and Aden could achieve far more.
Just like in the anomaly dungeon with Yoo Chae-young.
‘If only the unlocked Words of Power were more suited for combat.’
Setting aside regrets, he prepared for the invasion.
###
A day had passed since the World Quest was issued.
Korea remained quiet.
Other nations, however, were in chaos.
Dungeon anomalies were escalating rapidly.
<Today, a dungeon collapse in Taiwan claimed 2,000 lives…>
<At dawn yesterday, a tragedy in Japan left 1,500 dead…>
<In China’s Jilin Province, an unprecedented 8,000 casualties—the worst in the past five years…>
More than 30 dungeon collapses in a single day, each with over 1,000 deaths.
The reason Korea was safe?
The Blessing.
Over 80% of the country was designated as safe zones from dungeon anomalies.
Even outside those zones, dungeons were rarely tackled directly.
At last, even the general public could no longer deny the catastrophe that was unfolding.
The public, once passive, merely hoping to avoid infection like a pandemic, now struggled desperately, as if staring down a raging wildfire or an oncoming tornado threatening their very homes.
This desperation manifested in many ways—evacuations, riots, looting—but evacuation was the most visible.
Safe zones with Blessings in other nations had long exceeded their population limits.
“Please comply with the orders! Step away from the fences!”
“Why won’t you let me through?! I live in this city too!”
“You are registered as living outside the Blessed Zone. We cannot accept any more people.”
“Don’t give me that crap! I have the right to walk into my own city!”
“We’re saying that, physically, this place cannot hold any more people!”
Inside the Blessed Zones, the population was packed tight—
sidewalks, roads, inside buildings, even rooftops—
people swarmed like insects.
Korea remained calm—but only because the navy was overwhelmed.
They were busy intercepting smuggling boats.
Surrounded by seas on three sides and the Demonic Land blocking the north, Korea had effectively become a true island.
The only way in was by sea.
“Honey, more Chinese boats coming in over there.”
“What else is new? Call it in.”
Even coastal residents, on a casual glance at the ocean, would always spot at least one smuggler boat.
Given this crisis, nations were begging for Blessings, some offering dozens of times the usual price.
But all were ignored.
Kang Hyun had no plans to leave Korea.
“They should at least be able to defend their own damn country. How long are they gonna rely on me? You know, that saying—teaching a man to fish?”
“You’re not gonna teach Korea how to fish?”
“Korea needs more than just ‘self-defense’.”
It wasn’t enough just to survive.
Life had to remain comfortable—just like always.
He refused to let his family become war refugees.
“We don’t know when the 1st Invasion will happen…”
“Yeah. It’s crazy that this chaos isn’t even the 1st Invasion yet.”
“What’s coming that’s worse than this—”
Ding!
Before Aden could even finish, the system window appeared.
“M-M-Master!”
“Yeah. I see it.”
[World Quest (Korea-Exclusive)]
[The 1st Demon Invasion has begun.
Raid-level A-rank Boss Monsters have appeared across the world.
Korea’s Awakened must eliminate Korea’s A-rank Boss Monster to protect the country.
Success Conditions (Korea):
Defeat A-rank Boss Monster 0/1
Success Conditions (Global):
Defeat all 193 A-rank Boss Monsters worldwide 0/193
Rewards (Korea): Blessing of Potential Awakening
Rewards (Global): Pending…
Failure (Global Quest): Triggers the 2nd Invasion
Time Limit: 23:59:59]
“M-Master, what does this even mean?!”
“Simple. Korea’s Awakened only need to defeat our boss. But to stop the 2nd Invasion, every single boss worldwide has to die.”
This was a guaranteed failure.
A-rank Boss Monsters were catastrophes incarnate.
There was no way every country could defend successfully.
An S-rank dungeon collapse was a nation-ending event.
That’s exactly how North Korea was wiped out.
A-rank was just one step below S-rank.
Containing even one required massive casualties.
“They’re really going all out.”
Kang Hyun had once faced a B-rank Boss before—
Inside the Anomaly Dungeon with Yoo Chae-young.
‘Providence doesn’t count. That thing was outside classification.’
B-ranks alone were insanely strong.
But 193 A-rank bosses?
Even if the demons had thrown everything into this attack, this scale should have been impossible.
If this was doable, then Thea would’ve been destroyed before he was even born.
‘This is Abyss’s work. They spent a long time preparing—finding loopholes, working around restrictions.’
They had weaponized the global Anomaly Dungeon collapses.
That entire crisis had merely been fertilizer for this moment.
‘Then the location of the boss mob is….’
Ring, Ring, Ring!
His phone buzzed.
<Kang Hyun-nim! Yongin! It’s in Yongin City!>
As expected.
One of the few blind spots in Korea’s Blessing coverage.
<An A-rank Raid Boss has appeared in Gyeonggi Province, Yongin….>
“Send me the exact coordinates.”
<Y-yes, right away!>
The location ping came through.
“I’m heading out.”
“M-Master! What about me!?”
“You stay here. What are you gonna do against an A-rank Boss?”
“B-but Master, you’re in danger—oh.”
“Get a grip, kid.”
For a moment, Aden panicked, completely forgetting who her master was.
“O-oh… I-I’ve come to my senses. P-please, be safe.”
“Open… oh, right.”
<Kang Hyun-nim? Where are you heading?>
Putting down the phone.
Setting his phone down, he changed clothes.
“O-oh!? Master! That outfit!”
“It’s been a while. But this time… I’ll definitely be on camera.”
The outfit Kang Hyun had worn during his first S-rank Word Mage appearance.
A black hoodie emblazoned with a skull design.
The kind where, if you zipped it all the way up, the hood and zipper formed a full skull mask, covering his face entirely.
“Once the media catches on, you can’t wear something like this anymore. If I have to toss an outfit, might as well use the one I already discarded.”
“Put on a mask too, Master!”
“Thanks. 【Open】.”
Whoooong—
He took two steps forward.
Step. Step.
And the scenery changed.
Screaming people.
Shouts of desperation.
The thunderous impact of something colossal—
Boom. Boom.
“Aaaaaahhh!”
“Mom! Over here, hurry!”
“Get off the road, damn it! I’m plowing through everything!”
“It’s coming! It’s coming this way!”
“Don’t step on me! Aaargh!”
A few people near him glanced his way briefly, but no one paid him any real attention.
In a moment where anyone could die, some mysterious portal was the least of their concerns.
“A total mess.”
< Kang Hyun-nim? What did you say? It’s too loud, I can’t hear you clearly.>
“Forget about Korea’s boss monster. Assume it doesn’t exist and start preparing for the 2nd Invasion.”
<What are you talking abou— W-wait, did you just teleport to Yongin!?>
A massive silhouette loomed over the fleeing crowd.
It advanced with slow, deliberate steps, the ground shaking with each one.
Boom. Boom.
<No! Even for you, Kang Hyun-nim, I absolutely cannot allow this! Don’t do anything reckless!>
“Why the sudden concern… ah.”
Right. Section Chief Choi Young-ho had never seen it.
He had no idea who the S-rank Word Mage really was.
‘Only Yoo Chae-young and Aden had seen it firsthand.’
< I don’t care how much of a genius EX you are! Even if you defeated an S-rank Awakened before! This is on a completely different level!>
“It’s fine—”
<It is NOT fine! Even an S-rank Awakened cannot take down an A-rank Boss alone!>
“That’s not what I meant—-”
<Return IMMEDIATELY! RIGHT NOW!>
“…Yeah, we’ll talk later.”
Click.
He hung up.
No point arguing.
They wouldn’t listen until the quest was cleared.
Everyone was running in the same direction, away from the monster.
But only one person moved the opposite way.
Kang Hyun, stepping forward— toward it.
============
TLN:
Sorry to say but this series will be dropped, because:
- It started getting boring due to how slow the plot is.
- Most important. The author has already started with taking breaks and having trouble starting again and I am 99% sure the series will never be finished by the author if it keeps up with the current pace.
Go ahead and read the other translation on novelupdates if you fancy that. Sowwy <3
